“Nobody Really Wanted” Stephen Curry & Klay Thompson Details Lakers Legend In Unknown Story On Their Past
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are undoubtedly one of the greatest backcourt duos. The stats and rings will approve it and one cannot skip their Bay Area chapter from the history. While everyone knows their balling prowess on the glamorous NBA court, not many know their struggle before reaching that spot. Notably, some may recall Steph’s story behind Davidson College recruit. Thanks to the Underrated documentary. But not many know about China Klay’s story.
Who else can deliver the story better than Thompson’s father? The Los Angeles Lakers legend Mychal Thompson traveled back in time and recalled the starting point of Klay’s glorious balling career. But, before that, he drew a parallel between Steph & Klay’s college recruiting story. Featuring on the Raising Fame podcast hosted by Lucille O’Neal and Sonya Curry, Thompson Sr. along with his wife Julie, revealed an inspiring story.
USA Today via Reuters
Mychal Thompson began the story by saying, “Klay and Steph have a lot in common because nobody wanted Steph because he was too small. Schools didn’t come after Steph.” The son of Dell Curry dreamed of joining Duke or Virginia Tech, but none of them responded, considering his size. And it was Davidson College, a small private school that took him in and the rest was history.
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Polls of the dayDo you think the Lakers made a huge mistake by not wanting Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson?
Do you think Jayson Tatum’s Olympic controversy will affect his NBA performance?
No, he’s too professional
Maybe, it depends on the media
Whats your Perspective on:Imagine the Lakers with Curry and Thompson—did Jerry West drop the ball on this one?
Have an interesting take?Do you think Brandon Ingram’s hiatus is justified?
It’s all about the trade rumors
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On the other hand, Klay also had a similar story. Thompson Sr. continued, “When Klay was coming out of high school, nobody really wanted him. I mean called a couple of schools here in Southern California. ‘Well, you know, not really, he is a nice young player but we just don’t see it cause’ he was very skinny.’ He made Reggie Miller look like Karl Malone.” He further added, “A lot of people didn’t look at him as a Tier 1 or a blue chip college recruit, someone who can play in North Carolina, Dukes like that. They looked at him more like a small school player. ” So which college did the NBA star ultimately end up in?
Which college did Klay Thompson play for?ADVERTISEMENT
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After facing a lot of rejections from top colleges, Mychal Thompson finally received a hopeful response. Speaking of it in the same podcast, he said, ” Lot of them PAC 12 schools didn’t really take him seriously until Tony Bennett from Washington State said, we like him, he’s got great potential.”
In 2008, Klay Thompson signed for the Washington State Cougars and started all the games during his freshman year, averaging 12.5 points and shooting at 41.2% from the arc. Following that, in his sophomore year, the star further doubled it down with astonishing growth, averaging 19.6, and in his junior year, the star finished with 21.6 points, threatening the opponents from the arc. In those three years, he found himself in the All-Pac-10 first team and became the Cougars’ leading scorer in all three years.
What’s your perspective on:
Imagine the Lakers with Curry and Thompson—did Jerry West drop the ball on this one?
Have an interesting take?After the dominant collegiate career, Klay jumped straight into Stephen Curry‘s Golden State Warriors team. And as we all know, the rest was history. The duo, along with Draymond Green, went on to build the Dubs dynasty, winning four rings in the process.
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Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.